# communal laundry rooms in apt building--is this common in all countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752 "2010-07-06T18:36:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/1 "2010-07-06T18:36:31Z")
There is a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=12) running right now in MPSIMS asking how people feel about returning to the laundry room a few minutes late, and finding that a neighbor has removed their clothes from the machine so that he can use the machine himself. When I lived in apartments, it never bothered me…but what DID bother me was the damn _inconvenience_ of never knowing if there would be a washer and dryer available when I wanted it. It seems weird to me that in America of all places,people don’t mind being forced to share laundry facilities, to wait in line for a machine, then leave their intimate property in a public place. America is the nation of individualists, lovers of freedom. That’s why the greatest of all symbols in American society is the car. Europeans like their efficient trains and busses; but Americans love their cars…the ultimate freedom.Americans demand their individual privacy–unlike, say, Europeans, Americans resist public transportation, don’t share tables at restaurants, they maintain a larger personal space between people in public places,etc. So why do Americans give up all their privacy when it comes to doing the laundry? And why don’t landlords install laundry machines in each apt unit? A washer and dryer only cost about a months’ rent, and in a private apt they will last for years. So instead of building a separate room for communal laundry, it can’t be that much more expensive to build a small alcove in each apartment with a washer and dryer for the personal use of the resident. And the communal room gets heavy use and needs a lot of upkeep, which is an expense that wouldnt exist if each apartment has a private machine. So a couple questions: 1. GQ… Do apartment buildings in other countries provide more private laundry facilities than most American apartments? 2. IMHO…why don’t American landlords build laundry machines in each apartment, and then advertise it as a really,really convenient advantage , worth maybe $10 a month more in rent? 3. MPSIMS…for apartment dwellers…wouldn’t you really rather have the option of living without the hassle of fighting for an available washing machine? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/2 "2010-07-06T18:42:37Z")
I think they don’t install the washer and dryer in each unit because they’re expensive, take up space and are used only infrequently. (I thought about buying my own machines, but I only do two loads a week, so it doesn’t make sense.) Note that some apartment buildings (usually higher-end ones) have washers and dryers in each unit. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/3 "2010-07-06T18:47:20Z")
They also require better power arrangements than your standard wall plug. It’s thus cheaper and more convenient for the landlord to put it all in one room. You also don’t need to provide as many machines if the tenants are sharing. I think you’ll find that most Americans would _prefer_ to have individual machines in their own private units. That doesn’t mean they would necessarily be willing or able to insist on it. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/4 "2010-07-06T18:50:14Z")
Hey, I once lived in an apartment where the laundry was three flights of stairs down, out the door, across the street, and halfway up the block to the commercial laundromat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/5 "2010-07-06T18:50:15Z")
Another problem is the mess when someone overloads the washing machine and it overflows into the apartment. That can get expensive very fast. If instead they have a communal laundry room the mess can be contained (especially if the laundry room is on the ground floor as in my building). And at least it’s an onsite laundry room. My last apartment building didn’t even have one and I had to drive to a laundromat every week. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/6 "2010-07-06T18:58:18Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > They also require better power arrangements than your standard wall plug. It’s thus cheaper and more convenient for the landlord to put it all in one room. You also don’t need to provide as many machines if the tenants are sharing. > > I think you’ll find that most Americans would _prefer_ to have individual machines in their own private units. That doesn’t mean they would necessarily be willing or able to insist on it. They make 115v washers and dryers. They tend to be smaller capacity but work fine. The bigger problem is finding ways to vent, you have to go with a bucket if the landlord won’t allow you to install an external vent; of course then gas dryers are not an option unless you enjoy asphyxiating the whole place. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/7 "2010-07-06T19:01:20Z")
British apartment (flat ;)) dweller here, and I have never heard of apartments having communal laundry areas outside of student accommodation (where students are living in a room the size of a bedroom, so making it a necessity). Small apartments will always have a washer (in the kitchen), or washer/dryer combo. Unlikely to have a dryer as well for lack of space, but then we’re not averse to using an indoor clothes line/dryer thingy to hang our washing on. I get the impression that Americans tumble dry everything, which certainly isn’t the case here, even amongst those with palatial homes. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/8 "2010-07-06T19:02:52Z")
Here in the UK it’s not a common thing to have communal laundry facilities. I’ve lived in a number of flats (apartments), they either come with a washing machine, or don’t have one at all. In fact I’ve never seen a communal one. ETA: Dang beaten again! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/9 "2010-07-06T19:05:30Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > They make 115v washers and dryers. They tend to be smaller capacity but work fine. The bigger problem is finding ways to vent, you have to go with a bucket if the landlord won’t allow you to install an external vent; of course then gas dryers are not an option unless you enjoy asphyxiating the whole place. Most new apartment buildings don’t have shared laundry facilities. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/10 "2010-07-06T19:10:42Z")
Communal laundry facilities are uncommon in Japan, at least in my experience\*. I’ve seen 500-sq ft apartments with spaces designated for small washing machines. Usually no separate space for dryer though. You could put a small dryer above the washing machine, but given the available power (often just a standard 100V plug), it takes 2 hours to dry any sizable load. Most Japanese families still regularly dry their clothes outside. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/11 "2010-07-06T19:14:27Z")
Most of the apartment buildings I’ve lived in in various cities in western Canada have the communal laundry room set-up (or none onsite at all) versus laundry facilities in each apartment. I don’t think I ever rented an apartment that had its own washer and dryer; the best I got was a small building with two apartments sharing one set of machines. You’d have to move up the food chain to renting a house or nice condo to get your own set of machines here, usually. ---
**Author:** ![rockypg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@rockypg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockypg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/12 "2010-07-06T19:42:57Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > 1. GQ… Do apartment buildings in other countries provide more private laundry facilities than most American apartments? Where I come from (India, and I guess this would be true in a lot of third world countries even) there _are no laundry facilities_. period. On the most part, there are no communal, no shared, no coin operated laundromats. What you get however are people who can wash your clothes for you, by hand. You can even get them to come to your apartment/home and wash clothes for you using your water and detergent, coz there’s no knowing what they might use if you left them to it. Washing by hand is back breaking work, but is more effective cleaning and is cheaper than getting a washing machine. The upwardly mobile populations in large cities can mostly afford washing machines and usually buy one for personal use, the concept of shared laundry facilities doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/13 "2010-07-06T19:55:25Z")
When I was in Italy last winter my apartment had a washing machine in the bathroom. No dryer though. Since I didn’t really trust my washer, had no laundry detergent on hand and wanted to have access to a dryer anyway, I usually went to the laundromat a few blocks away. Even there there were only two (working) dryers for two rows of washing machines, and they were quite expensive, so I guess it’s not really common in Italy to dry clothes by machine. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/14 "2010-07-06T20:37:47Z")
Communal laundry rooms are unheard of in Hong Kong. Even the smallest 300 sq ft apartment in the public housing estate has a private washing machine. There may not be a dryer, but most middle-class families and up tend to have one. Line drying doesn’t always work well there due to the humidity, especially during spring and summer. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/15 "2010-07-06T20:50:12Z")
Most Israeli apartments, even small ones, have a small laundry room, big enough for a washer and a drier; those that don’t, have a place set aside for them in the bathroom. I’ve never seen communal laundry rooms here. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/16 "2010-07-06T20:55:01Z")
Q2: It would be expensive to outfit each apartment with a W/D. Between the electric, plumbing, and the machines themselves, the landlord would have to charge a lot more than $10 a month extra. Remember–compact machines cost a lot! Q3: Sure it would be nice to have one in my apartment, but it’s no big deal to use the laundry room, especially since I rarely have to wait for a machine. American apartment dwellers are used to the situation, just like people in other countries are used to not having dryers. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/17 "2010-07-06T20:57:52Z")
When I think of apartments with communal washing machines, I think of older, inner city apartments or otherwise older and poorer complexes. I think that empty laundry rooms in each individual apartment (giving you the option of purchasing your own equipment or renting theirs) are the standard for new apartment construction in America. Am I wrong? I’ve never lived in an apartment without a laundry room. My apartment in Germany didn’t have a laundry room. I had to buy a washer and dryer and put it in the bathroom. Same with my row house in Italy. I miss having a laundry room. I miss America. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/18 "2010-07-06T21:04:18Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Most new apartment buildings don’t have shared laundry facilities. I think our wires got cross because I’m not sure why you said that. You originally said: > [@](#): > > They also require better power arrangements than your standard wall plug. Which I took to mean that you were saying W&Ds were 220v. Now I think I see you meant that communal laundry rooms require more powerful machines? I was not commenting on the rooms themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/19 "2010-07-06T21:04:18Z")
To the GQ question: A lot but by no means all apartment buildings (whether rented or condo) in Germany have communal laundry facilities. For example the building where I live (9 apts - 11 adults+1 child as far as I know) has a laundry room in the cellar with 1 communal coin-operated washing machine, 3 private washing machines (others may have theirs in their apartment), no dryer (much less common than washing machines in Germany) and communal clotheslines strung in the cellar of an aggregate length of perhaps 60 m. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752/20 "2010-07-06T21:05:45Z")
In my current apartment, there’s one washer and dryer on each floor, shared by up to 6 people. There’s a posted schedule where each apartment gets three four-hour blocks a week to use the machines, plus first-come-first-served on Wednesdays. So I do my laundry at the same time every week (unless that time won’t work for some reason, and I use one of my other times or Wednesday), and I never have to worry about whether the machines are available. It’s really no inconvenience for me at all, and I also don’t have to worry about the maintenance of the machines, so I don’t know why I would prefer to have my own machines. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communal-laundry-rooms-in-apt-building-is-this-common-in-all-countries/545752.md?page=2)